The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has expressed his desire for all young people in London to have completed at least 100 hours of work experience or careers advice, by the time they reach the age of 16 years.
A report is being launched by the mayor, looking into how important it is for young people to receive information about gaining employment once they finish school, providing “impartial, independent and personalised careers education.”
The report calls for more to be done to provide education about careers in both primary schools and secondary schools, and also increased cooperation between different schools to boost the sharing of ideas.
It wants a fixed entitlement for hours of careers advice and work experience, due to concerns that the task of gaining employment is being neglected. The help would consist of one-to-one advice, work-related guidance and talks from employers.
London has a different labour market to the rest of the country, and therefore the young people in London need to understand their local jobs market in order to make the most suitable choices in the future.
“More young people must be given the chance to gain more experiences of the world of work and be inspired to see possibilities and goals that are worthwhile and relevant to them,” said Deirdre Hughes, the author of the report.